Sarileru Neekevvaru Telugu Movie Review

         Dedicated to the Indian army this festive offering from Anil Ravipudi fortunately spends far more time with urban politics and the familiar good bad divide than chest beating jingoism. The later becomes the focal point enabling Mahesh Babu to be inspired by what Akshay Kumar does. This is however the simple unadulterated main stream entertainer that it steers clear from the temptation to go over board with the army tag line.

         Ajay (Mahesh Babu) is a successful army officer who has the confidence of his boss (Murali Sharma). He refuses to be cowed down by the demands of the enemy and goes about with dare devilry and a sharp eye.  However, in one such operation his colleague Ajay (Satyadev Kancharana) is shot and taken to hospital with a dim chance to survive. The unit is however sensitive that back home the injured officer has a single mother who has already sacrificed a son for the nation and is getting her daughter wedded. The Mom Prof. Bharati (Vijayashanti) has not given up the Lady Bachchan image as she is busy slapping the bad guys and telling the world to live right. She gets caught in a personal battle with the local Minister Narender (Prakash Raj). The army boss decides to delegate the daring Ajay to go over for the wedding and break gently the news of her son but only after the marriage is done. On route in a train that gives you picturesque images once in a while, Ajay runs into this crazy family headed by Rao Ramesh, his wife (Sangeeta) and these three daughters one of whom is the unmarried Sanskruti (Rashmika). The Dad has two useless sons in law and is the process of finding the third (Satya Akala). The girl also feigns a romance with the local train ticket examiner (Jabardast Appa Rao) till she runs into the dashing hero Ajay who too is in the train along with his collegague Prasad (Rajendra Prasad).

         The script now moves to establish how the corrupt Minister is harassing the lady in distress, who is incidentally the mother of the martyred soldier Ajay and how she is aided and assisted by the on-duty officer Ajay in making the corrupt politician bite the dust.

         The film is cliched to a fault. However, the audience is the kind that according to the maker would gulp glamour. In fact, in a scene that the film maker uses to insult the guys who pay to keep the industry running says that people are naïve and would run for glamour and not care for other alternatives. The comment is seemingly tongue in cheek but a fare assessment. The film maker proceeds on this assumption. He ensures that there is a heady mix of emotion high voltage dialogues on national spirit, national good, corruption, there is a good dosage of romance, dance and song. Most of all he invests on humour. For most part of the film it is the humour that keeps the script going. 

Watch out for a pleasant performance from Mahesh Babu. Vijayashanti has a good outing on her return. Rao Ramesh and Sangeeta add a lot of life to the film. Rashmika is that typical over the top Telugu film heroine. The diehard Mahesh Babu fan or the guy is in for a few laughs would like the movie if he is willing to labour through nearly three hours. For the rest choices are aplenty. 

L. Ravichander.